The Life of an Elder
by Mrs Snowball
Summary: [Happy Feet] Noah reflects on his life, and whether he's been too harsh on Mumble. Please don't flame. Chapter 2 is up.
1. Chapter 1

The life of an Elder

It is late evening in Emperor Land. To be more precise, it was about 7pm, but of course the penguins do not know that. They have their own sense of time, mostly revolving around the setting of the sun; the only time these rules don't apply is during the winter, when the sun vanishes from the land. These rules had been thought up when the colony had been founded, and they'd been passed down by the Elders for generations... but did the Elders really have any power anymore?

That's what Noah was wondering right now.

The penguins of Emperor Land had _always _listened to the Elders, with no exception. But today... today there'd been some kind of uprising. A young troublemaker named Mumble had led the others into something Emperors just don't do... _dancing_. They knew this wasn't the way, they knew singing was the only way to please the Great Guin, yet they _listened _to Mumble! Worst of all, they joined him! Noah shook his head in disgust; the mere thought of such sacrilige offended him. No wonder there were hardly any fish...

But a small voice nagged in the back of his mind; was it really a good idea to exile Mumble? Maybe dancing was the way? Maybe he was right about those aliens? What if - just maybe - the Elders were wrong?

"Nonsense," Noah said to himself, in an attempt to shut the voice up. "We're the smarter of the nation. We know how the rules go. We are _never _wrong."

The voice did not be quiet, but he ignored it anyway. That voice was trouble; it had been with him ever since he hatched out of his egg, and he had been told by his father to ignore it, for it was the voice of rebellion. "It is that voice that causes penguins to break the rules," his father, Jeremiah, had told him. "And the rules are our way of life, as you well know."

Noah did know, and that was why he was here. He'd never listened to that voice, and he'd often wondered why other penguins would. Sometimes he would observe them, watching them from an icy peak, and wonder why they didn't seem happy with the rules. Those rules were made to _protect _them, couldn't they see that? They were made to keep them on good terms with the Great Guin, who provided all they needed from life. Why couldn't they follow them? _He'd _followed them all his life, and no harm had come to him.

When Noah was a baby penguin, Jeremiah was not yet old enough to be an elder, but he had already developed the attitude of one (not that it was a bad thing, in his son's eyes, but it did appear to be in other penguins'). Noah had no mother; she was one of the few who didn't make it back from the fishing trip. He had no idea what had happened to her - something involving an orca, apparently - but it was not something he dwelled on; his father always said they would manage on their own, and they did - with a little help from the Elders of that time. Jeremiah's attitude may have been unpopular with the younger penguins, but the Elders had a lot of respect for him and were only too happy to organise someone to find fish for them. Jeremiah was very grateful, and he made sure his son was too.

"Pay attention to the Elders, Noah." Jeremiah had told him on his first day of Penguin Elementary. "Respect them, because it is thanks to them that our nation is still thriving."

Noah, who listened to everything his father told him, took his words to heart.

As he sat in class, he was aware the Elders were watching him, trying to tell him apart from the other kids. It was not that hard - from the moment he'd started school, he'd been treated as an outcast by the other penguins.

"Who's he?" he'd heard one ask.

"He's Jeremiah's son," her friend replied. "You know, that stuffy old penguin who tells us to leave him alone."  
"Which one's his son?"  
"The tall one."

That was another thing; ever since he could remember, Noah had always been taller than the other penguins. It wasn't a problem for him now, but it was back then. Fortunately, a lot of those memories were lost to him as he grew older, but he knew they were not pleasent ones. All he could remember was being alone throughout most of his school years. Once, a few months before his graduation, he had worried whether he would be alone for the rest of his life. Concerned, he went to the one person who would know the answer; Jeremiah.

"Father," he asked. "Why do the other penguins avoid me?"

His father - who, in a few months, would become an Elder - looked towards the other penguins in Noah's class. They were playing around on the ice, clearly without a care in the world. Jeremiah frowned, then turned back to his son.

"Do they say why they avoid you, Noah?"

"They say I'm no fun."  
Jeremiah laughed loudly. "_Fun_? What do you need _fun _for, Noah? The Great Guin has greater plans for you."

"Do you think so, Father?"

"I know so." Jeremiah put a flipper on his son's shoulder, then gestured towards the other penguins. "The Great Guin has plans for every penguin who ever lived. Those penguins are going to have regular lives; they grow, they breed, then they pass on to the great unknown. You, my son, are going to do better than that; you are going to lead this colony one day. The Great Guin looks upon you with pride, Noah, and he is going to give you a long and happy life. Why would you want to have fun when you're going to become Head of the Elders someday?"

The thought of becoming Head of the Elders - the highest position in the whole colony - filled Noah with pride. Then another thought occured to him.

"Father, if the other penguins avoid me, how will I find a mate?"

Jeremiah laughed again, a loud, hearty laugh that stuck with his son for hours afterwards. "What do you need a _mate _for?"

Good question, and one Noah never bothered to answer. When the mating season rolled around, he always ignored it, because he never wanted any female company. But there was that one time...

Noah stopped thinking; times were bad enough without remembering _her_.

Suddenly, he heard another penguin walking up behind him. He turned around to face Eggbert, his fellow Elder.

"Noah," he asked. "What shall we do about the fish shortage?"

"There's only one thing we _can_ do, Eggbert, and you know it; we must be as dutiful as possible and hope the Great Guin will forgive us for this fiasco."

Eggbert stood beside him. "Mumble has been banished?" he asked.

"You know he has," Noah replied. "You were there. You saw him."

"Do you think that will be enough?"

"I certainly hope so."  
"You know something, Noah," his friend commented, looking out as the other penguins walked below. "I think you handled the situation really well. Jeremiah would have been proud."

"You think so?" Noah's voice was calm, but he was secretly delighted with this praise; any positive comparison to his father was good for him.

"I remember when he was alive, and I know so. He got us through some bad times, Noah, and so shall you. Just keep up the good work."

And he waddled away, leaving Noah by himself once more.

As Noah watched, the sun sank low in the sky. He felt a sense of pride, a feeling that his dignity had returned.

He _was _like his father. He had definately tried to be, all his life.

He _would _get them through this.

But, a few weeks later, something happened that changed everything.


	2. Chapter 2

_An icy afternoon, some years ago. The air is filled with noise, for it is mating season once again. Everyone is singing their heartsong, trying to find a mate, and this time, even Noah is joining in. This is the first - and last - time he will ever attempt to find a mate. The reason for this decision is now only a few feet away from them. _

_Her name was Katherine, and she was the most beautiful penguin he had ever seen. Her incredible voice and sleek black feathers had grabbed Noah's attention from the day he first laid eyes on her. He'd asked his father if it was a good idea, and Jeremiah, now an Elder, had said nothing. But, from Noah's experience, that wasn't normally an objection, and now he was making an effort, singing loudly and hoping Katherine would notice him. _

_After a while, she looked in his direction. _

_"Was that you, Noah?" she asked, walking towards him. Her male admirers followed suite, looking at him with fierce eyes. _

_Noah nodded. "Do you like it, Katherine?"_

_"Well," she began. "It was nice-" but then they were interrupted by another penguin; Aaron, Noah's fellow pupil and chief tormentor. _

_"What'cha doin', Daddy's Boy?" he asked, shoving Noah out of the way - he was half Noah's size, but a good deal heavier. "Are you messin' with my girl?"  
"She's not your girl." Noah replied, standing his ground. "She's not decided yet."  
"Well, we'll see after she hears this," and Aaron begin to sing, his loud, powerful voice belting out the words. Noah didn't like it. Worst of all, Katherine did. _

_"I must say, Aaron," she declared. "You do have the best voice."  
Noah stepped forward. "I never finished singing, Katherine." he objected. "At least wait-"_

_But she raised her flipper, stopping him in his tracks. _

_"Look, Noah, it's not that I don't like you, it's just - well, alright, I don't like you. You have no sense of humour. You'd never make a good father - you'd be just like your own."_

_"And what is wrong with that?" _

_"Look at yourself. Look how he's brought you up. You've never made any friends, no wonder you can't seem to find a mate properly! Face it, you're a total killjoy; why don't you go hang around with your father and the other Elders, since you're always acting like one?"_

_"Fine!" Noah declared angrily. "I will!" Then, as an afterthought, he added; "At least I have a life ahead of me! You'll just breed and die!"  
He turned away, and for a moment, he thought they'd actually listened to him. Then he heard the sound of laughter. He turned around, expecting it to come from Aaron, but it was Katherine. _

_Angrily, he stormed away, back to the peaks at the edge of Emperor Land. As he passed the Elders' peak, he saw Jeremiah looking down on him. But there was no pity in his father's eyes; in fact, he almost seemed to be saying "I told you so." But he wasn't concentrating on that; he was remembering something Katherine had said as she laughed;_

_"What a complete fool!"_

Noah woke up at this point, but the dream - or memory - was still fresh in his mind. All the bitterness that had been on him that day came flooding back, and he frowned at the ice in front of him.

"You were the fool, Katherine." he snarled, as though she could hear. "Where are you and your precious friend now? Dead, that's where, and I'm still alive. I was right, wasn't I, Katherine?"

But he was interrupted when a young penguin came waddling up the side of the cliff.

"He's returned!" the penguin was crying. "He has returned!"

"Calm down, child!" Eggbert replied. "Who has returned?"  
"Mumble Happy Feet!" the penguin answered, trying to catch his breath. "Mumble Happy Feet has returned!"

There were gasps of outrage from the Elders. From where he stood, Noah could hear snippets of conversation;

"He's returned!"

"I can't believe it!"  
"The _nerve_!"  
"You mean he isn't dead?"  
"Noah!" Eggbert called to him. "Have you heard this?"

"I have now," Noah replied, waddling towards his friend. Then he turned to the young penguin.

"You say Mumble has returned?"

The penguin nodded eagerly.

"Well," Noah declared to the others. "We're going to have to sort this out, aren't we?"

Then, with him leading the way, they made their way down the peak.

Noah spotted Mumble instantly. He was standing in front of the other penguins, who had gathered around him in a half-circle, like Romans in an ampitheatre. Noah had never heard of the Romans, but he did recognise what was going on; Mumble was telling them something, and they were listening to him.

"So?" Noah bellowed. "You dared to come back?"

The penguins looked at him, hopefully remembering who was in charge here. Then a young penguin stepped forward.

"He says he's found aliens," the young penguin declared. "And they're taking our fish. He says that they're coming, and we all have to do this." he did a strange attempt at a tap dance.

_Aliens? _Goodness, being exiled would have knocked some sense into most penguins, but obviously Mumble was different in that way, too.

"THERE BE NO SUCH THING AS ALIENS!" Noah retorted, but then Mumble turned around to reveal some kind of device on his back. Noah had no idea where it came from, but he was sure of one thing; it was not made by any penguin.

"Is that - from them?" a female penguin - Gloria, Noah remembered, Maurice's daughter - asked.

"Yeah!" Mumble replied. "But don't worry - I think it's a way to find me."

_To FIND him? _

"You lead them here?" Noah thundered angrily. "You turned them on your own kind?"

Gloria looked up at him skeptically - a look Noah didn't like at all. "Wait a minute. You said there was no such thing as aliens."

_That's right_, the voice of rebellion piped up. _You did_. He was making a fool of himself, just like he had years ago. Only this wasn't just one penguin at stake; this was the whole colony. If he was made to look stupid now, he'd lose their respect, and that was all he had at the end of the day.

"Well - there's not!" he replied. "But if there were, only a traiterous fool would bring them here!"  
"But they _have _to come!" Mumble spoke up. "They're the ones taking the fish, maybe they can do something about it!"  
_Such blasphemy! Only one thing can save us, and he should know it! _

"Only the Great Guin has the power to give and take away!"  
"But the Great Guin didn't put things out of whack! The aliens did!"  
This talk was too much for the elders. They tutted angrily, glaring furiously down at Mumble. If looks could kill, he wouldn't have lasted a minute. Knowing this was his chance to win the debate, Noah drew himself to his full height and spoke loudly.

"A traitor has come to mock our suffering!" he declared. "We are starving, and he wants us to hippity - hop!"

The Elder continued to speak, reminding himself of his father as he reminded them of how well their old ways had worked in the past. A few penguins seemed convinced, but Mumble and Gloria weren't. They stood where they were, looking defiantly up at him, and suddenly, in Noah's eyes, they weren't Mumble and Gloria anymore; they were Aaron and Katherine, who'd humiliated him in the past, and it was his turn to humiliate them.

"So do we hold true to our ways?" he finished, addressing the whole colony. "Or do we listen to the frentic fantasys of a dancing fool?"  
There was silence - no, wait, not quite. A loud beeping noise was coming from the device on Mumble's back, and all the penguins were turning to look.

"Hey," said one. "How does that feet thing go again?"

"Yeah, show us, Mumble."

"Oh, it's easy." Mumble replied, starting to dance. On the clifftop, Noah stared down at him. They _still _weren't listening? What about his authority? What about _tradition? _He wasn't taking it.

"No!" he objected. "No, you must resist!"

But no one listened to him. Every one of the penguins below them was dancing, even the chicks, and nothing the Elders could say would stop them. So they chanted, hoping to drown out the noise of the dancing. They would prevail, Noah was sure. The traditional ways had lasted this long, surely they weren't going to fall at the hands of some young outcast and his freakish alien stories?

"Yes, my brethren!" he cried, raising his wings like a conductor as the Elders raised their voices. "Make the world tremble! For when all others leave..."  
"WE REMAIN!" The older penguins chanted, and Noah felt a sense of pride. He was holding his ground, something his father would surely have been impressed with. Of course, Jeremiah hadn't had such a problem, but still...

The battle between tapping and chanting went on, neither prevailing, until a strong wind blew up from the north. The dancing penguins stopped. A few of the Elders turned around.

Then a huge object flew over the peak, like a giant bird with its wings attached to its head. A large bulky creation unlike anything the penguins had ever seen before, it soared above them and landed on the peak on the other side of Emperor Land.

As the penguins watched, two strange creatures came out of it, both dressed in orange and walking on two legs. Neither, it seemed, had wings.

Were these aliens? Was Mumble right?

Noah stared at it, wondering what he should do. Below him, the penguins started to dance again, but he barely noticed. Mumble _was _right, and that meant he was wrong; hardly a great quality for a leader to have.

What to do now?

_If you can't beat 'em, join 'em_, he thought annoyedly as he began to dance. After all, there's nothing wrong with knowing when to admit defeat.


End file.
